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Marika Kato
Marika Kato is the main character of Mouretsu Pirates and is the current Captain of the Bentenmaru. She is the daughter of Ririka Kato and the late Gonzaemon Kato. Her home planet is the Sea of the Morning Star in the Tau Ceti system and she goes to Hakuoh Academy on the planet in the star system. Appearance Light Novel Anime Marika has light blue eyes and long pink/orange hair that reaches slightly below her shoulders. She wears two hairclips on a bang of hair just to the left of her eye. At school, Marika wears the standard Hakuoh Academy uniform, a maid outfit when working at Lamp House and a blue Yacht Club hoodie during yacht club activities. As captain of the Bentenmaru, Marika wears a black coat with gold highlights (open at the lower front), with white cuffs and frills at the ends of the sleeves and white skull emblem on the upper arms. She also wears a pale ribbon with a green gem in the centre, and a brown waistcoat underneath. A black cape with a maroon inside is attached to the back of the coat via the shoulder guards. Her sword is attached to the left side of a red belt at the waist. She wears a bicorne hat with the same colour scheme as the coat, the secondary Bentenmaru emblem in the centre, a red string at the front-left and a white tuft in the middle on the left. During the Hakuoh Pirates and Nebula Cup arcs, Marika's uniform sports a few changes made by Mami Endo. The ribbon on the neck is replaced by a large orange one. The cuffs at the ends of the sleeves are red with yellow frills. The cape is replaced by a white cape that splits into several feather-like ends (with red tips at the ends). Manga Personality & Character Marika is cheerful, optimistic and charismatic. She can be naieve and a little clumsy at times and can come across as slightly ditzy, however behind this lies a cunning and slightly devious intellect, able to take into account the options open to her and use the tools she has available to maximum effect. Marika values the safety of her crew and ship, however she is willing to take considerable risks if doing so would be beneficial to them in the long run. Marika is a hard worker and frequently pushes herself to exhaustion. She often oversleeps and is tricky to wake up Sailing 16. Background Marika grew up on the Sea of the Morning Star, unaware of her position as future captain of the Bentenmaru. Plot Recruitment Arc Marika's first appearance was during a dinghy flight simulation in one of the yacht club's simulators. During the simulation, she left orbit and re-entered at a fairly high speed. She used aerobraking in order to increase her rate of deceleration so she wouldn't overshoot the runaway. After exiting the simulator, she skipped the checks and briefing, and left early to go to her part-time job. During her job at Lamp House, Kane and Misa came into the cafe. After she served them, Misa called her by her name and after saying that she knew her mother, asked if she had been in space. Marika replied that she had been up to the relay station with the yacht club, after which Misa asked if she had considered viewing the planet from further away, not just from satellite orbit but from outer space. After her shift was over, she cycled home. At home, while Ririka was cooking pot-au-feu, Marika told her that she had met someone who knew her and what they had told her, causing Ririka to drop a plate in surprise. Shortly after she'd swept it up, Kane and Misa arrived at the house in black, mourning attire. Marika changed into her school uniform and came down as Misa told Ririka that Captain Gonzaemon had passed away. Later the four were assembled at the dining table. Marika nervously ate her dinner while the others talked. When she finished her bowl, she realised the others were all looking her way and Misa said they were here to see her. Marika then asked who the Gonzaemon they were talking about was, surprising Misa and Kane who had expected Ririka to have told her. Ririka then explained Gonzaemon was her husband, Marika's father. Misa then asked if Marika would like to captain the pirate ship Bentenmaru, surprising her. Misa then explained that only the direct descendant of the previous captain can become the next captain and as Gonzaemon's only daughter, she was the only one who could take his place. Confused, Marika interrupted her asking about what they meant about pirates, which she thought were something from ancient history and not the present. Misa explained that real pirates still existed and gave hers and Kane's positions on the ship. Marika asked if the three were playing a prank on her, prompting Misa to ask Ririka if she really never said anything about it. Ririka said she was waiting for the right time. Misa then said that Marika wanted to go into space and if she became captain, the Bentenmaru would take her wherever she wanted. Marika refused to do something that would make her a criminal, but Misa explained that they had a Letter of Marque, an official pirating license, and were therefore legal pirates. Later, after Kane and Misa had left, Marika was lying in bed, thinking about what she had heard. After thinking who has heard of a legal pirate, she performed an online search for 'Letter of Marque' and found the notice about the death of the Bentenmaru's captain and the ship's license being in a grace period. She performed a search for 'Bentenmaru' and found a picture of her mother as a pirate. The next day, Marika asked Mami whether she had heard of space pirates, which she thought was a history question. Mami told Marika about the replacement teacher that had been found for their class. Marika was slightly surprised when it turned out to be Kane. As Kane introduced Chiaki Kurihara as a transfer student, Marika thought that Chiaki looked cute. She was confused by the look Chiaki gave her when she passed her on the way to her seat. Later at Lamp House, Marika and Mami were confused and a little intimidated by the customers that were coming in, with Mami wondering if they were fans since they appeared to have their eyes on Marika. They then greeted Chiaki as she came in. After Chiaki asked if she was showing off or simply didn't understand, Marika was called away to serve coffee to the guests outside. When she came back to Chiaki, she encouraged her to eat her parfait before it melted. After Chiaki enjoyed a bite, she asked about her joining the yacht club, saying it was a shame they were off today. Chiaki asked why she was working there and if she failed to understand her position. Just then a man came in claiming to be from New Okuhama Airport security, saying that there had been some trouble at the relay station and that her mother had requested protection for her. However Chiaki asked why airport security was providing protection and not the police, and told the man he needn't continue his farce. As the man prepared a hidden weapon, Chiaki yelled at Marika to cover her eyes before firing off a signal round, igniting a gunfight. Marika stayed close to the floor before Chiaki grabbed her hand and ran outside, taking her away from the cafe Sailing 01. After running some distance away, Marika looked back at the cafe and asked Chiaki what she did. Chiaki, still eating her parfait, told Marika what she did and said she wished to talk to her somewhere further away. At the side of a canal, Chiaki explained that the man had intended to kidnap her and that the people at the cafe, from various police and military factions, were sent there to keep an eye on her because she might become captain of the Bentenmaru. Finishing her parfait, Chiaki left, saying that though Marika had a lot of questions, there were already people she could ask. Kane then arrived to pick Marika up. Marika contacted Misa who was at Lamp House and learned everyone there was OK. She said she'd return right away, despite being told it was OK for her to go home since they knew she was safe, as she had left her stuff there and had one customer to ring up. After changing, she left Lamp House and got ready to cycle home, but was greeted by Ririka. Marika talked with Ririka as they drove home. Ririka asked if she was mad about not being told about her father and the pirates, having intended to tell her after graduation. Marika replied she was more surprised, about the pirates and also that her dad was alive and only died recently. It didn't feel real and she was surprised at herself for not feeling anything. Marika then asked Ririka about her being a pirate on the Bentenmaru and why. Ririka told her she was born in space, the first thing she knew was being on a spaceship and that was why. She then hugged her daughter and said it was probably impossible for her to imagine but people like that existed, people who had found their place in space, sailors. After dropping off Marika's bike and picking a container up, Ririka then drove Marika to a deserted area with many wrecked ship hulls sticking out of the ground. She then opened the container to reveal a load of guns, surprising Marika who asked why she had them as she could get arrested. Ririka told her they were for self-defense and the police and military let it slide, to which Marika said to herself those were some big things they were letting slide. Ririka then took a large gun out and gave Marika protective glasses, before firing it through several of the hulls. She then asked if Marika wanted a try, but said she wouldn't start her off with something that large. Marika was given a smaller gun (though to her it was plenty big), an ArmaLite armour-penetrating beam gun, something Ririka used to have for work. After adjusting Marika's posture so she wouldn't be blown back by the recoil, Ririka asked her why she thought pirates carried guns when boarding ships. Marika asked whether it was to fight, but was told it was to impress. Ririka told her that 90% of the time, a fight is decided before the first trigger is pulled, but if you set the gun to full power and pulled the trigger, someone else may die or it might be her who dies. She said that if someone is in the police or military so long as they followed orders, they needn't consider such things, but pirates must decide for themselves - that being the power of a pirate. Marika took aim at a tank and fired, burning a hole straight through it. While Marika stood back in shock, Ririka told her that what she held in her hands was power and if she became captain, she would hold the trigger of an even greater power. Marika protested that she hadn't decided what to do about that yet. Ririka told her she didn't have to decide right now, but she already had the heart and resolve to decide. She said that Marika's power is hers alone. Marika was present in the yacht club's room, playing a block tower game with Maki on the yellow couch, when Kane entered introducing himself as the club's new advisor, surprising her and causing the tower to fall. During the long weekend, she went with the rest of the yacht club to perform pre-flight checks on the Odette II, ready for the practice cruise. She and the other first-years opened the ship's hatch, with Marika and Lilly dealing with the electronic lock. After that, she went to her designated inspection point. She was on the bridge when Kane came in and after deactivating the alarms which were going off, asked him what he was planning, becoming their advisor and arranging this practice cruise. Kane replied that her upperclassmen were the ones who suggested the cruise and that it was a lucky coincidence that he became the yacht club's advisor and she happened to be there, which Marika certainly didn't believe. When Jenny ordered the rebooting of the bridge and checked that everyone had finished, Marika replied that she had and counted down with the other yacht club members to the reboot. She looked slightly annoyed when Kane waved goodbye to her on his way out to see a visitor. Later, Marika was on duty with Chiaki on the Odette II's bridge. She asked herself aloud what Kane was thinking and was startled when Chiaki replied. She thanked Chiaki for saving her earlier, though Chiaki denied it being saving. She then asked what Chiaki was doing and expressed concern on hearing that the ship was under electronic attack, but relaxed when told it was just ordinary spam viruses and bots. When Chiaki said that she felt as though someone else was trying to break in, Marika moved to the electronic warfare console, saying she might try her hand at electronic warfare, before accidentally moving the seat too far forward. Marika and Chiaki then noticed a pulse on one of the ship's consoles and found that it was synchronised to the external communications. The two soon realised that it was from a direct cable and that the electronic attack was coming from inside the relay station. They set to work on finding the source, with Marika checking through the ships docked at the station and Chiaki narrowing down the filters. They found the attack was coming from Port 117 where the Lightning 11 was moored. Marika then decided to give electronic warfare a try, despite not knowing anything about it. She objected to Chiaki's recommendation that they pull the cable out, saying that they need to fight back against the attackers and teach them a lesson, otherwise they will just try again later Sailing 02. She then thought about whether they needed a phrase to begin the operation with, to which Chiaki replied that electronic warfare probably wasn't what she thought it was. As Chiaki told her about what it should be like, Marika made adjustments to her seat, before saying that Chiaki hadn't done it before either, addressing her as 'Chiaki-chan'. She then booted up the electronic warfare systems. When Chiaki reminded her that they should pull the plug if they are outmatched, Marika asked whether that would damage the system, to which Chiaki replied that she shouldn't engage in electronic warfare if she were that hesitant, however before she could continue, both of them noticed the system communicating on its own. As Chiaki tried to find out what it was doing, Marika watched the various screens popping up in front of her. They soon learned that these were automatic defences that engaged when the system was booted up. As Marika continued to watch, Chiaki went to check the power usage. Marika cheered the automatic defences on as they retook control of the ship's systems, ignoring Chiaki's request for help. Just as the system was almost fully retaken, power went off in the ship as the dock's power breaker tripped, to Marika's disappointment as they'd almost won. The two safely reactivated power externally and after confirming power in the ship was back on, she mentioned that they should have them increase power to the ship next time. Chiaki then pointed out to her some miffed yacht club members who come to see what was going on, and left her in charge of their excuse. Sometime afterwards, she went to her part-time job at Lamp House following a simulator session. Mami mentioned that her 'fans' hadn't come back to which Marika asked if she wanted them back. The two greeted Chiaki, who told them not to use '-chan'. Chiaki then told her about the non-aggression pact concerning her in New Okuhama City. When Chiaki said that this extends up to the Letter of Marque's renewal date and that after she became an official pirate she'd be included in discussions, Marika said that she hadn't decided yet. Chiaki asked what she, the girl who was thrilled at the prospect of electronic warfare, was talking about, to which Marika asked if that seemed so. Chiaki told her not to run away, mentioning the fact that her teacher was a pirate and shady people were after her, and that the practice cruise would likely be full of danger. Marika also added the matter of the mysterious transfer student, and assured her it would be OK as it would be a great chance to go into space and not everyone out there would be an enemy. While walking her bike home with Mami, Mami asked what Chiaki was doing there. Marika said it might be because she likes their parfaits. Mami said that Marika appeared to have a fair amount of problems but seemed to be having fun. She also mentioned that sometimes she wondered if it was OK to be her friend, to which Marika replied she was her friend and that she was more level-headed than her other friends which helps an airhead like herself. When Mami asked if she could expect a present, Marika said she'd consider it. At home, Marika was eating dinner with Ririka and told her about when the exams were and that she'd saved up plenty of cash so she could mess around for the rest of the summer. Ririka said her job was fine but inquired about 'that other thing'. Marika then started to ask Ririka about the non-aggression pact, but didn't continue as Ririka didn't appear to know about it. After the exams and the closing ceremonies were over, Marika joined the assembled yacht club on the lawn outside, ready for the trip into space. During the launch, she was stationed on the navigational console to the left of the captain's seat. On Jenny's orders, she took the Odette II steadily forward out of the docking bay. Once they were clear of the relay station's control space, Marika increased the ship's speed to space speed 3 and switched the coordinates from the Sea of the Morning Star to Tau Ceti. After one of the yards became stuck during mast deployment, she was mildly surprised when Kane proposed a spacewalk for the first-year students to fix the problem. She changed into her spacesuit and assembled with the others at the airlock. As Kane noticed the decorated suits (which he suspected was Hyakume's doing), Marika asked him if there was something wrong with their suits. After they had confirmed the suits and communications were OK, Kane depressurised the airlock and the group then proceeded to go outside the ship. As they reached the top of the ship, Marika and the others took in the impressive view of space, after which they proceeded to the mast section and Marika pointed out the stuck yard to Kane. When Kane asked her what she thought, Marika suggested that they could change the bracing angle on the stuck yard then slip it past before deploying the mast. As this was possible and would take less time than retracting and redeploying the mast, Jenny approved the plan and Kane told the others to follow Marika's order and for Marika to say when to raise the mast. The group then assumed positions on the yard to carry out the plan. On Marika's word, the yard was moved and the mast raised, this time successfully. Afterwards Marika looked out into space. She said to Kane that the Sea of the Morning Star was pretty but small, adding that everyone was just a dot in space. He asked if she was afraid, to which she replied she was, but was looking forward to it. After performing a full inspection, the group returned inside Sailing 03. Marika was on the bridge as the Odette II turned and made its way towards the inner planets of the Tau system. That night, she was once again on duty on the bridge with Chiaki. She remarked how deliberate the pairing felt. After Chiaki asked her about how the radar scan looked, Marika recalled out loud the laws regarding transponders before reporting fifteen vessels on radar; two solar energy plants, one unmanned supply ship and twelve other ships with flight plans and IDs that checked out, if everyone was abiding the law Sailing 04. Golden Ghost Ship Arc Hakuoh Pirates Arc Nebula Cup Arc (Anime Only) Pirate Hunter Arc (Anime Only) Three Ships Arc (Novel Only) Skills & Abilities Marika has good leadership skills, capable of making quick decisions and keeps relatively calm under pressure. She knows what tools she has available and what possible options are open to her, and from that can make the best use of what she has to achieve the best result for herself and her crew. Marika is intelligent and tries to plan ahead, be it for an enemy's possible actions and a plan for a counterattack Sailing 04 or what the ship will need in the near future Sailing 24. She is also capable of thinking outside the box and coming up with solutions that might not occur to other people Sailing 05. She is dependable and hardworking, and will always see her tasks through to the end. Her cheerful attitude and charm also helps to bring people to her side. Marika is a skilled pilot, impressing Kane during a dinghy simulation Sailing 01 and dodging machine gunfire from the Bisque Company during the Nebula Cup Sailing 21. She is also trained in swordplay, handling guns, hand-to-hand combat, electronic warfare, navigation and model-making Sailing 06. As a member of the yacht club, she has experience at operating certain systems aboard the Odette II. She is also capable of making parfaits and after finding the secret recipe, pot-au-feu Sailing 19. Relationships Ririka Kato Marika and Ririka have a fairly relaxed, trusting and friendly mother-daughter relationship. Marika rarely calls Ririka mother, instead calling her 'Ririka-san'. Mami Endo Mami has been Marika's closest friend for quite some time, having known her at least since middle school. Marika oftens talks to Mami about the events going on in her life and Mami tries to help her as much as she can. Chiaki Kurihara Kane McDougal Misa Grandwood Coorie Schnitzer Hyakume San-Daime Luca Gruier Serenity Hakuoh Academy Yacht Club Gallery Trivia References Category:Characters Category:Female Category:Pirates Category:Students Category:Articles requiring plot summaries Category:Work in progress